Savage Silence: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 4) Read Free

need be, but humans were a different story. Without access to that bank, she might as well not open her clinic’s doors. Something she refused even to think about.
    She’d been a doctor for over sixty years. Having grown up in a pack with no medic had forced her hand in a way, but after six decades of caring for shifters and humans alike, she was beyond comfortable in her role. The analytic side of her job, the process of elimination and the overall organization required, was a perfect fit for her. She’d saved many lives since she’d earned her MD. Many…including her own a time or two.
    “Where did you go?” Lathan asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
    “Sorry. Just thinking through the plan for the clinic.”
    His dark eyes bored into hers, his expression one of kindness and understanding. “You want to go to the clinic for inventory, don’t you?”
    She tried not to let it show, but yes. Yes, she did. A run in the woods was a nice way to unwind, but the draw of plotting and planning and making sure she was prepared for the worst held far more appeal. And her Alpha knew it.
    Lathan laughed, practically shooing her off the mountain. “Go, Doc. Go do what you love. The woods will be here when you’re through.”
    “I thought you wanted to talk about the Glaxious pack.”
    His smile fell, his eyes going stormy. The neighboring pack had been causing trouble lately, meeting with Lathan more and more. He’d told her not to worry, but that was an impossible task. How could she not? According to her packmates, the Glaxious hadn’t bothered with them for decades. Not until she joined.
    “Another time,” he said, his voice dark and rough. Measured. There was bad news coming, she could feel it. Could practically see it just like on that far-off cliff to the north. The shadows were deepening, and she’d need to be prepared for when things got dark.
    “Then I guess I’ll head back to the clinic to start getting the word out.”
    Lathan nodded, watching her with an attentiveness she could feel. If only…if only she hadn’t been taken. Held hostage. Tortured. If only life could have been a little more kind.
    “Be careful,” he said as she turned to shift back to her wolf form. “Stay to the marked trails, and check in with Davis whenever you can.”
    Ariel’s heart almost hurt. She was so thankful she’d run into this pack, so blessed to have found a safe place after so much fear. Lathan worked hard to accept her needs, to help her find herself, and to give her time to grow. She’d forever be grateful to him for that, but there would never be more. She would never feel his body against hers or enjoy those quiet moments between pleasure mates. And that was entirely her fault.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, wishing there was some way she could express how much he and his pack—their pack—meant to her. But she didn’t have the words, not that Lathan seemed to need them.
    “Thank you, Ariel. Now go before I change my mind and make you run back to camp the long way.”
    She shifted without thought, twisting into a running wolf in a single breath. She was back over the hilltop in four strides, far enough from the pack to no longer feel their presence in twenty. If she kept up that pace, she’d be at her clinic in half an hour, which suited her just fine. There was much to be done. Inventory, order supplies, contact the local blood bank—her night would be busy with tedious administrative tasks, but she liked it that way. Liked being the only doctor around for miles and miles. Liked the endless hours and the happy exhaustion that finally forced her to her bed every night. The pace kept her mind off the darker memories, kept her focused on healing instead of sinking into the quagmire of her past. Kept her wanting to move forward.
    Staying busy kept her sane.

3
    T he phone would be Thaus’ undoing.
    “So what, you’re on babysitting duty for two Alphas?” Phego, his Dire brother, huffed what sounded